by Tom RakocevicWe have all driven or taken a TTC bus past the forested William Baker neighbourhood along Sheppard Ave. W., near Keele St., but few of us have ever entered it.Councillor Anthony Perruzza wants that to change and has worked on an agreement with the Canada Lands Company to open this forested neighbourhood to the community as early as Autumn 2014.The William Baker Neighbourhood was established in the 1950’s to house military personnel serving at the Canadian Forces Base Downsview.The base was decommissioned and closed in 1996, and the neighbourhood was eventually emptied leaving unused homes in a secluded small urban forest.Currently, the William Baker neighbourhood is a part of the greater Downsview Park lands and owned by the Canada Lands Company with a long-term plan for development. Councillor Perruzza has been fighting to see this neighbourhood preserved for its heritage aspects and natural beauty.“The military base closed twenty years ago. It’s time that the community has access to this beautiful space.” says Councillor Perruzza.Canada Lands has received permission to demolish the vacant houses but thanks to the work of Councillor Perruzza, they have also agreed to take down the fencing and make this area into park space open to the public.Their landscape plan for the area shows a number of enhancements to this park space including new pathways for pedestrians and cyclists, new benches and garbage bins to reduce litter, as well as new trees.The creation of a new park is welcome news to the community. This fall, make sure to take a stroll through the William Baker neighbourhood and enjoy the wonderful colours of a lovely urban forest right in our neighbourhood.
How's your Rogers service?
By Howard MoscoeI am a long time customer of Rogers Cable. I’ve been using their service for TV and now, for internet since I moved to Downsview some 50 years ago.The service has never been great, but lately, it seems to be getting worse and worse. I regularly lose my cable service at least once or twice a week.My internet is as slow as the hand drier in the Bay Street bus terminal washroom; at least when it is working at all.Is it just me or are you having the same problems with your service?The city of Toronto re-builds a road every 45 years. By ‘rebuild’ I don’t mean simply lay a new coat of asphalt, but actually re-construct the road including the concrete road bed and curbs from the ground up. My street was done seven years ago.Right now in the Keele and Finch area, the water mains and some of the sewers are being replaced. How often does Rogers cable replace its infrastructure?Is the Rogers infrastructure (cable hardware) just simply too old to do the job? When is Rogers going to replace our local cables? Has the company invested its entire capital budget into finding new ways to dip into your wallet while ignoring the necessary upgrades needed to keep the basic system running?The company has recently given every one of its customers up to three free boxes so we can continue to receive the same basic service as they switch to digital. Why? Is it so they can start to sell you individual programs and new services that you don’t yet know you need or want? Isn’t that the equivalent of putting a new coat of paint on a rotten board?Let me know if your service is as painful as mine.Please send me an email at info@downsviewadvocate.ca, and tell me what you think of the service you get. I will publish comments from readers and ask Rogers for its response.Perhaps, together, we can get Rogers to pay some attention to Downsview, this forgotten corner of Toronto.
'Ghost bus shelters' do not serve TTC riders
Contrary to popular misconception, the TTC has nothing to do with bus shelters and never has. They were originally erected by the local municipalities. North York used to budget for 40 shelters a year, but they were a major headache for the municipalities because of the cost of keeping them clean – and they hardly ever were clean.
Under former Toronto mayor David Miller, the city hit upon the idea of contracting out our street furniture (shelters, benches and trash bins) to a company in exchange for exclusive advertising rights on our streets. The plan was also to get rid of the ugly newspaper boxes that clog sidewalks and intersections and install public washrooms; but that’s another story. Several Companies competed and the contract was awarded to Astral Media Outdoor LP. The company signed a 20 year contact signed in 2007 and so it lasts for another thirteen years. It was a pretty good deal. The city got spiffy new street furniture and it shed the costs of maintaining shelters, bus benches, notice boards, and trash bins. In addition to some $26 Million worth of street furniture the city also received revenues of some $429 Million over the 20 year life of the contract. Now here’s the down side. In North York, for example, bus shelters were erected on the basis of actual need. City staff would count the number of passengers using a stop and multiply it by the length of time between busses to generate a number.For example, if ten people waited at a bus stop for 20 minutes it would be allocated a shelter ahead of a main street shelter that served 50 passengers who had to wait 2 minutes. Councillors would submit their requests for shelters and the numbers would objectively determine who got the shelters. This is the only way that remote locations could ever get shelters. Outdoor advertising companies earn their revenues based on traffic volume. They charge advertisers on the basis of how many people are calculated to see an ad. A billboard on Sentinel Rd., and Grandravine Dr., generates far less revenue for them than the same poster located at Jane St., and Finch Ave. W. Now shelters began to be erected on the basis of how much advertising revenue they could generate forthe company rather than need to shelter people waiting for busses.This has resulted in the erection of what I call “Ghost Shelters.” The most outrageous examples are two shelters that are located at the Intersection of Sheppard Ave. W., and Allen Rd. One is located on the south west corner where there is a bus stop but no bus route. The other is at the south east corner, a few meters away from Downsview station that also has a bus stop but no bus route. Even if there were real bus routes that served these stops there would be no reason to ever get on or off a bus at these locations. I checked out the litter containers. They both looked brand new and there was no litter in any of them. All the buses that pass are are on route to be serviced at the Wilson Yards.The Ghost shelters are located here because the intersection has one of the highest traffic volumes in the city and hence generates huge advertising revenues for Astral Media.Each of these shelters costs about $28,000 to erect. Under the agreement the company has to erect a fixed number of shelters a year. That means that because of these Ghost shelters there are two bus stops in this city that have no shelter. Passengers have to suffer the rain and snow because the city has lost control of where shelters are located.How many other Ghost shelters does Toronto have?I will be asking the chair of the TTC and the two local Councillors for their comments and will share them with you in a future column when I talk about shelters that don’t actually shelter anyone. I would also invite readers to tell me where they would like to see shelters erected.by Howard Moscoe
Students leaders celebrated for their success
Over the past year, I had an opportunity to work in a number of schools. Through my work with the City and the Toronto District School Board I was able to help organize a number of events, such as tree plantings and community clean ups.
[metaslider id=557]I have also worked with over a dozen schools in the Downsview area. In this time I've had the chance to see the diversity of talent and the latent opportunity that many of our students have. It also an eye opening experience that saw me discover the needs many students face in the classroom. There is nothing worse that wasted talent and opening doors for young people is the only remedy for wasted lives. With this in mind, I started a $100 bursary for high achieving graduating elementary school students, $150 for middle school graduates and $250 for those graduating from high school. The Downsview community needs to celebrate its successes more often. It has been over a year in the making, but it finally came through in June. I was able to hand a bursary to two dozen graduating students from grades 5, 8 and 12. Frankly, the work I do is a privilege. Public service is a vocation more than a job and it has some very rewarding moments. It was great to be able to celebrate students for their individual success, but it was well worth doing for me too. It was a way to give back to my community. The students that received the Leadership Award, were students that not only excelled academically, but that also fostered a better school community:
“The students have demonstrated leadership in the school by showing a love of learning and have led other students to improve their academic achievements. They have also created a more inclusive, welcoming place in the school community by their active participation in extra-curricular activities.”
By Matias de Dovitiis
Sunshine project provides access to tennis for youth
With the recent successes of Canadian tennis players Eugenie Bouchard and Milos Raonic at Wimbledon, the sport has experienced a real boom in this country.
However, with the cost of lessons and equipment, it can be rather expensive. The Sunshine Project, a subsidized after school tennis program in the Jane and Finch, Rexdale and West Humber neighbourhoods is helping to provide many local children with affordable access to the sport. Participants pay a fee, which operates on a sliding scale based on family income.This approach is modelled after the City of Toronto’s Welcome Policy and opens the door to tennis training for many youths who might not otherwise have been able to play. Youth from low-income families who reside within three km of the designated Sunshine sites have priority to enter the program and generally pay $40 or less for 33 instructional hours over 11 weeks. All participants receive a personal racket, tennis balls, a guidebook on the rules of tennis and a map of local tennis programs and courts. The youth are mentored by four youth leaders from the neighbourhood, who belong to the Sunshine leadership team. Additionally, they receive training from the Wilmington Tennis coaching team.The students train ever yday after school on public tennis courts at Firgrove Park, Lanyard Park, Gracedale Park, and Sunnydale Acres Park. This year The Sunshine project celebrated its one year anniversary on June 21 with a tournament and graduation awards ceremony with more than 270 children in attendance.The project has been made possible by a grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation and will run until 2016. For details on how to join the Sunshine Project please contact Pomme Corvellec atwilmingtontenniscommunity@gmail.com by Yasmin Parodi
Property tax and water rebates for seniors - Apply and Save Money
Seniors and persons with a disability are often the most affected by the rising cost of living. As the cost of everything goes up, their pension and/or benefits stay the same - this means they are actually making less and less money each year.
In 2008, I worked with Councillor Anthony Perruzza to help establish Toronto's water rebate program for seniors and persons with a disability whose household income is less than $50,000. Successful applicants can receive up to a 30 per cent rebate for the water they consumed at the end of the year. That same year, we also helped raise the income threshold for Toronto's Property Tax Increase Cancellation Program to help more seniors apply. Today, if you are a senior or person with a disability in the City of Toronto and your household income is less than $38,000, an application to this program means any property tax increase will be returned to your pocket. Important programs like this provide relief to seniors who are struggling on a fixed income. After their many years of hard work, seniors should live with peace of mind and dignity. Unfortunately, the reality for many seniors is one of financial stress. If you care about a senior or person with a disability who owns a home in Toronto, let them know about these programs that will help them save money. Call your local City Councillor and ask their office for an application or even help in applying:Ward 8 - Councillor Anthony Perruzza - 416-338-5335Ward 9 - Councillor Maria Augimeri - 416-392-4021 by Tom Rakocevic
Rastafest
Editorial Endorsement - Tom Rakocevic has York West at heart
When deciding who to vote for in the upcoming provincial election, it's important to think locally.After all, you are electing someone whose main responsibility is to look after your immediate local needs. The things that matter most to you in your community.York West residents need a champion at Queen's Park. Someone who not only knows the area and the challenges it faces, but who also knows the residents intimately.Of all of the candidates running in York West, only Tom Rakocevic truly fits this bill.Rakocevic has lived his whole life in York West. He went to all local schools, starting at Derrydown Public School, moving on to Elia Middle School before attending C.W. Jefferys Collegiate Institute and York University.But it's not just that. Throughout his life, Rakocevic has spent countless hours volunteering in the community. He knows the area, he knows the residents, he knows the issues.Rakocevic has been a champion for York West residents in the fight for lower auto insurance rates. York West residents pay some of the highest auto insurance rates anywhere in the province. Rakocevic has organized information sessions and has constantly spoken out against the unfairness of our current auto insurance system where people living in places like Rosedale pay a significantly lower auto insurance rate than people living in York West.If elected to Queen's Park, there is no doubt that Rakocevic would fight to lower auto insurance rates for York West residents.Last year when York West was heavily impacted by two different floods causing a significant amount of damage, Rakocevic organized meetings providing residents with paperwork and information on how to get city rebates to install backflow preventers in order to help protect their homes from future flooding.This election in York West is not about the past, but it is about the future.The residents of York West need a change. They need a representative in Queen's Park who cares deeply about his community and who will put the residents of York West first. They need someone who is out there in the community who will be available to talk to, and more importantly, listen to residents about their concerns. Someone who will fight tooth and nail for the issues that matter most to the residents of York West.That person is Tom Rakocevic.
Program helps Spanish-speaking youth get back to school
By Matias de DovitiisTeach 2 Learn is a fabulous program that was born in the classrooms of Downsview. It helps Spanish-speaking students find a better path to success.The program started five years ago as an attempt to reduce the very high dropout rate of Spanish-speaking students. Parents got together to work on ways to help their own children, but the problem was very big and it required a great deal of work.Since then, countless meetings, workshops, tutoring classes, field trips and forums have helped hundreds of students and parents find guidance and support to navigate the school system.It has also helped students who have dropped out to get back to school.To see the plays the students have put together, the classrooms full of students receiving math help or the parents in workshops learning the ropes of the educational system is to understand both the potential out there and the problems that need fixing.“When we started we thought maybe we could just point students to other programs. Then we realized that the program was much bigger,” said Pilar Gonzalez, one of the program's founders and coordinators. “Tutoring was not enough. The parents needed help. The students needed help. We started this voyage with an objective, but like a work of art, you never know what your final destination is.”The name was coined by one of the program's first volunteers, a retired teacher named Ana Schillac. She was training a new set of tutors when she told them, “In order to teach you must learn.”The principle behind it is that anybody can learn and we can all be teachers. Students in the program not only receive help, but they also learn by teaching others.Once children and youth learned to become engaged students the rest is much easier. Teach 2 Learn uses a number of different tools to engage students, from tutoring to artistic development. Most importantly, the programs are free to all participants.Teach 2 Learn is by all means a success story and it has been my pleasure for the last five years to work along a great dedicated team of volunteers and parents.The program currently helps 33 students with tutoring twice a week and 10 to 20 parents participate in weekly workshops and the youth program has more than 20 participants each week.Downsview is a community created by waves of immigrants that have arrived here over time and have often struggled to adapt to the system. This is just one of the many stories that have weaved our community together.The pathway to success is always different for each and every one of us, but there is nothing like wasted opportunity. In Teach 2 Learn at least, dozens of students have a new pathway.For more information go to www.teach2learn.ca
Mentoring youth through basketball
By Yasmin ParodiThe Battle of Finch is an alumni basketball event at C.W.Jefferys Collegiate Institute that brings the community together to support each other.The basketball match pits the C.W. Jefferys senior men's basketball team against a team filled with alumni from local schools such as Westview Centennial Secondary School and Emery Collegiate Institute.The event, organized by Helping Neighbourhoods Implement Change (HNIC), isn't just about watching a good game of hoops, it also about mentorship. The alumni players, who have since graduated and moved on to careers of their own, give back to their community by helping to guide local youth toward their own future career paths.HNIC is a non-profit group dedicated to helping at-risk youth to lead successful and productive lives. To date, HNIC has helped more than 200 boys and girls from at-risk neighbourhoods between the ages of 13-18 to make successful transitions into higher education and the work force.Chris Blackwood, HNIC's founder said the organization has two different programs geared toward helping young men and women navigate what can be a sometimes challenging period in their life."Gentlemen H.A.T.S. (Having the Ability to Switch) provides our male youth with the ability to switch behaviours, attitudes, and characteristics in different social environments," he said. "Pretty in Pink provides our female youth with confidence and social tools to become a better student, employee, entrepreneur, women, and mother. Ultimately, be better than the negative stereotypes that society has given our young women living in at risk communities."Blackwood said he came up with the idea for the community basketball game as a way to showcase the fact that C.W. Jefferys is a safe place for students and is filled with a positive and caring community.The school had been carrying a negative stigma ever since 15 year-old Jordan Manners was shot and killed inside the school in 2007.Blackwood, who also attended C.W. Jefferys, said the tournament is an opportunity for students to expressive themselves and to show the school in a positive light.The Battle of Finch has been a great success from the beginning bringing students, alumni and community members together and quickly morphed into an annual event. The third annual tournament was held on May 24 in front of more than 200 people.Blackwood said local coaches Roy Rana, coach of the Ryerson Rams men's basketball team, Phil Edwards, a community developer, John Smith, coach of the George Brown men's basketball team and Bob Maydo, coach of the Emery senior boys basketball team played a huge role in not only coaching the teams, but in helping to mentor all of the participants in the event.Blackwood said he wanted to give a special thanks to Adam Ali, founder of iWontLose.com and Tom Rakocevic, a fellow C.W. Jefferys graduate and NDP candidate for York West. Blackwood said he also wanted to thank his HNIC team Rayon Brown, Harpreet Gill, Simone Spike, and Tanisha Evans for their massive contributions to the event.The first year, the tournament was held only at C.W. Jefferys, but it had proved so popular that by the second year, similar tournaments were also held at Westview, Father Henry Carr Catholic Secondary School, Eastern Commerce Collegiate Institute and Jarvis Collegiate Institute.HNIC provides authentic and transformational mentoring to youth living in at risk communities throughout the GTA.